Means for controlling looms by the quantity of weft in the shuttles.



No. 723,879. .k PATENTED MAR. 31; 1903.

J. H. KLERX. I MEANS FOR CONTROLLING LOOMS BY THE QUANTITY OF WEFT IN THE SHUTTLES. APPLICATION TILED r33. 4, 1902.

K0 MODEL.

" I Q 1W1 n w j T j Il a I'W' I o f gig! .Wn' A (g). M v p V '-d I I; Z9- 626 d Z10 7 a Z I 7 5 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE:

JOHANN HEINRICH KLERX, OF SUNBURY, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO SUSQUEl-IANNA SILK MILLS, OF SUNBURY, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

MEANS FOR CONTROLLING LOOMS BY THE QUANTITY OF WEFT IN THE SHUTTLES.

SI'ECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 723,879, dated March 31, 1903. Application filed February 4, 1902. Serial No. 92,564. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHANN HEINRICH KLERX, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Sunbury, county of Northuinberland, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Means for Controlling Looms by the Quantity of Weft in the Shuttles, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to looms, and more particularly to means for controlling a loom by the quantity of weft in a shuttle thereof.

The objects of the invention are more particularly directed to improvements in the construction of the shuttle and the parts thereof adapted to cooperate with filling-exhaustion-detector devices that may be of any well-known type.

I will describe a mechanism embodying my improvement and then point out the novel features in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of portions of a loom, including a shuttle-box and shuttle, in which my invention is embodied, Fig. 2 is a section taken on the plan 2 2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a view from the interior of the shuttle and looking toward the movable plate Y therein.

Similar letters of reference designate corresponding parts in all the figures.

A designates one shuttle-box of a loom, mounted upon and carriedby the lay of the loom, as usual. This shuttle-box is provided on that side which is toward the breast-beam of the loom with an opening or aperture a.

B designates a shuttle, which may be of ordinary form, except that it .is provided at one side with an opening or aperture I), having an upwardly-projecting rib b, the purpose of which will be described hereinafter.

Z2 represents the spindle of the shuttle, and it may be of any usual form. Itis shown as hinged at one end to the body of the shuttle by means of a pin b.

D designates a device for cooperating with the body of Weft in the shuttle B. It may be termed for convenience an engaging device or feeler. It consists of a main portion D, fitted to slide in bearings at d and d upon a stationary part of the loom, and a hinge portion d, provided with a fiat spring 01 that is connected to the main portion D of the feeler and acts upon the hinge portion 01 bypressing it downwardly to turn it about the hinge (1 The feeler D is adapted to enter and cooperate with the body of weft in the shnttle, as above stated, and its purpose is upon substantial exhaustion of the weft or exhaustion to a predetermined point to effector bring about the operation of a loom-stop or fillingrenewing mechanism. The portion d of the feeler D is adapted to engage with the above-mentioned rib b, that is carried by the shuttle B, whenever the weft being exhausted to a predetermined point the lay beats up and the part 61 thereby enters the shuttle sufficiently to permit engagement with the said rib b. The sliding or reciprocation of the bars I) is limited by a suitable stop or stops, which in the present example are shown as the pins d d adapted to abut'against the bearings d d. To prevent a recoil of the bar D after contact of its stop-pin D with the bar D it is advantageous to provide a spring-detent d for engaging a notch (1 formed in the said bar D, the said detent being supported upon and actuated by a flat spring d At the end of the bar D farthest from the lay is provided a part al for engaging a cam device, which will now be described.

E represents a pivoted lever with a pivot at e and comprising at one portion a cam-surface E, that is substantially radial, and a second cam-surface E forming a continuation of the cam-surface E, but at an angle thereto.

The part 01 carried by the slide D, is normally in engagement with the cam-surface E, as shown in Fig. 1, and to preserve such engagement a spring e may be provided, acting upon a rod 6 fitted to slide within a hearing formed at e in the stationary part of the loom, the said rod e pressing against the lever E to move it toward'the left in said figure. Connected to the lever E is shown a rod G, which may conveniently be the actuating means for a loom-stop or weft-renewin g mechanism. (Not shown.) -The loom-stop or weft-renewing mechanism may be of any suitable or well-known form. A rodf is fitted to slide in bearings formed at e e on the lever E. It is provided with a stop f for engagement with one of the bearings e and a spring F, preferably surrounding the rod f and also for convenience acting upon the stop f in such manner as to move the rodftoward the lay of the loom. This rod f extends through the bearing 6 and is normally in engagement with the part 61 of the slide D, the purpose of the rodf being to actuate the rod D' to maintain it in a normal position.

The hereinbefore described mechanisms are shown as being similar in construction and arrangement to the construction illustrated in Patent No. 689,550, issued to me on December 24, 1901, and the operation thereof will be similar to the operation described in said prior patent. I do not in the present application attempt to claim the hereinbeforedescribed parts, except in combination with certain improvements that will be described hereinafter, nor do I wish to be limited in the present application to the use of a feeler device constructed in exact accordance with the said prior patent, as any well-known or suitable feeler device or devices for cooperating with the body of weft in the shuttle may be employed in connection with the present invention without departing from the spirit thereof.

Y represents a plate, which may be of any suitable material and is fitted within the shuttle B to move inwardly and outwardly therein intermediate of the body of weft in the shuttle and the aperture 1) in the shuttle side. The said plate is shown as hinged about an axis at 2 fitted to the shuttle side, this being a convenient means to permit the inward and outward movements of the plate. The plate Y is also preferably fiat in form, so that it may rest snugly against the inner side of the shuttle, and is for convenience provided with a spring y, having a tendency to force the plate toward the shuttle side. The plate Y is intended to extend over the opening or aperture 1) in the shuttle side to any suitable extent, but preferably entirely across the said aperture. The said plateY may be said to constitute a detector, as it is adapted to engage with the body of weft when moved inwardly, and therefore the quantity of weft remaining in the shuttle will determine the inward limit of movement of the plate or detector Y. It

will be understood that the feeler device D is adapted to enter into the shuttle through the aperture 1) and to cooperate with the body of weft, not by contacting directly with the weft, but through the agency of the plate Y, which may therefore be termed an intermediate plate. It will be noted that the plate Y does not extend longitudinally beyond either end of the body of weft, and this is an advantage, because it avoids danger of the said detector or plate Y striking any part of the shuttle beyond the end of the weftbody and interfering with the proper operation of the feeler device D. It also permits of a more compact and a lighter design of detector-plate. These advantages are also afiorded by the employment of an axis arranged longitudinally of the shuttle.

What I claim as my invention isp 1. In a loom the combination with ashuttlebox, having an aperture in its side, a shuttle having an aperture corresponding to the aperture in said shuttle-box, a feeler device constructed and fitted to enter the shuttle to cooperate with the body of weft therein, mechanism operated by said feeler device for bringing about or controlling the operation ofaloom-stop, or filling-renewing mechanism, and an intermediate plate fitted within the shuttle to swing inwardly and outwardly about an axis arranged longitudinally of the shuttle, to extend over or across said aperture when in outward position, and to contact the body of weft when in inward position, and a spring arranged to act upon said intermediate plate to retain it normally in outward position.

2. In aloom the combination with a shuttlebox, having an aperture in its side, a shuttle having an aperture corresponding to the aperture in said shuttle-box, a feeler device constructed and fitted to enter the shuttle to cooperate with the body of weft therein, mechanism operated by said feeler device for bringing about or controlling the operation of a loom-stop and filling-renewing mechanism, and an intermediate plate fitted Within the shuttle to swing inwardly and outwardly about an axis arranged longitudinally of the shuttle to extend over or across said aperture when in upward position, and to lie wholly between the end portions of the body of weft when in inward position, and a spring arranged to act upon said intermediate plate to retain it normally in outward position.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHANN HEINRICH KLERX.

\Vitnesses:

P. N. VVENRICH, W. H. DRUMM. 

